The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-12-24

Havana in those early days not only
possessed excellent musical talent but much
superior talent Bands of music played
every evening In the plaza, or public
square, and good musicians had large and
certain salaries. His business was never
precarious, While hundreds of superior
musicians swarmed the city, yet all had
constant work, and some of the officers of
the army quartered there employed bands
regularly, as did others, at yearly salaries.
A PIRATES TuEATER.
A sharp, energetic and business like
pirate, with gang of accomplished assis.
tants, procured good war ship, In about
1920, and made II very dreary for the mer.
chant ships that went to and fro from the
Havana harbor. The government sent
several menof.war after him, but he re.
treated into a well.stored, impenetrable
cave, and defled the Cuban authorities
The gun ships, perhaps thinking the pira,
teal fellow and his gang had been starved
TO death because they had not heard so
much as a peep" from the cavern fer
weeks, returned to Havana and reported
the enemy dead. Whereupon that wicked
young freebooter emerged from his hole
in-the rocks and captured some more mer
chant vessels and appropriated their car
goes TO his own use. TIE authorities went
for him again, but with no better luck
than before. Finally happy financial
thought occurred to the authorities, which
was TO guarantee the brigand of the ocean
his life and pursuit of happiness, II he
would give them bonus-divide with the
officers some of his cave full of goods and
money and come ashore and lead yer.
tuous life. He agreed to 1t, provided they
would kill his comrades after he left, and
showed them how 70 do It. Ii was a bar
gain. and was SO done, and the bold and
crafty pirate went to Havana and built the
famous "Theator Tacon," outside the walls
of the city. 1t was an immense structure,
with three tiers of boxes, and seated five
thousand people. The pirate lived and
died rich and somewhat reformed citizen
whom to know, was 10 honor" etc.
AN IRIsHMAN's SOCIAL CALL.
The then Captain General of Cuba was
Gen. O'Donnell, probably Of Irish descent,
but native of Spain. He was man of
fine education and of many accomplish.
ments, and, withal, quite a joker. There
was "a oroath of boy" rolllcking young
Irishman, named Pat O'Donnel, who one
day got a little full " and determined to
claim the General as relative, or, at least
fellow countryman. So Pat boldly enter.
ed the Generals room and exclaimed, "Ar.
rah, now, General, what part " the ould
sod Old yees come from, any how' Is Il
from Donegal or Tyrone yees come ?" The
General, taking In the situation responded
In Pats own "brogue." Faith, Pat, III
thrue for ye, kim from the ould sod bu,
It's the ould sod Nv Spain, and not in Ire
land-God bless her" He treated his Wis
itor to drop o. the crayture," and PAT
left, declaring that, though the General
was not exactly an Irishman, he was aqua
to one In the height of jintale good man
ners." The General afterwards returned
TO Spain become its Prime Minister, and
he exerted wide influence In the af-
fairs OF his own and othar pations for manu-
years.
SPANISH BULL FIGHTS.
The bull fight for centuries has been the